Hurricane Mitch, the damage and destruction report!

Following are reports of the damage and destruction left by Mitch
from each country affected: (from http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/ol/ reports/mitch/ mitch.html)

HONDURAS:

Entire country affected.

Human toll:

An estimated 6,500 dead with up to 11,000 still missing. Up to 1.5
million people displaced and homeless. Critical food, medicine, and
water shortages. Hunger and near-starvation widespread in many villages.
Epidemics feared as malaria, dengue, and cholera make appearance. Fever
and respiratory illnesses widespread. Helicopters required to take
supplies to areas cut off by floods, but were in short supply. Some
survivors still reported clinging to roof tops, and isolated areas of
Honduras had not received help as late as November 12. At least 20% of
country's population now homeless. Many of the unidentified dead were
being buried in mass graves or their bodies were cremated. Tegucigalpa
Mayor Cesar Castellanos, a likely candidate for Honduras' presidency in
elections in 2001, and three others were killed when their helicopter
crashed while surveying flood damage on Sunday, November 1. On
Wednesday, November 4, the U.S. Coast Guard called off its search for
the schooner "Fantome" after debris and life jackets were found.
Thirty-one members of the crew were presumed lost after the captain
tried to shield the boat from Mitch by sailing south of Guanaja Island.
The last contact from the ship was on October 27.

Structural damage:

Infrastructure devastated. Whole villages washed away. Estimated 70 -
80 percent of transportation infrastructure destroyed. The majority of
the country's bridges and secondary roads washed away. Even airports
were under water. Helicopters were required for most rescues and aid
because of transportation difficulties; communications disrupted. Fuel,
electricity and running water scarce commodities. Damage so severe it
may take 15 years to 20 years or more to rebuild. Some buildings 350
years old in capital city of Tegucigalpa were reported to be washed away
completely. One third of all buildings in the capital were damaged by
the floods. In outlying areas, over 25 small villages in the northern
part of the country were swept away. Survivors were still clinging to
roof tops a week or more after the storm. Heavy damage along coastline
and off-shore islands from storm surge and hurricane-force winds. Severe
damage inflicted on tourist resorts. Damage estimates of four billion
dollars in Honduras alone.

Crop damage:

At least 70 percent of crops destroyed, including 80 percent of the
banana crop. Crop losses estimated at $900 million. Large warehouses and
storage rooms for coffee flooded. Maize and corn crops devastated. The
damage by Mitch to Honduran agricultural production will take years for
recovery.

NICARAGUA:

Northwest parts and northern parts of country most affected.

Human toll:

An estimated 3800 dead with perhaps as many as 7,000 others still
missing. Two million people directly affected and 500,000 - 800,000
homeless. Intense near-stationary rain bands over western Nicaragua on
Thursday and Friday (October 29-30) caused tens of inches of rain to
fall. The crater lake atop the dormant Casita volcano filled and part of
the walls collapsed on Friday, October 30, causing mud flows that
eventually covered an area ten miles long and five miles wide. At least
four villages were totally buried in the mud that was several feet deep.
Over 2,000 of the dead were from the areas around the collapsed volcano
near Posoltega. In many cases, survivors had to wait days before the mud
had dried enough to walk to rescuers. Damage was extensive from flooding
in other parts of the country, also. As late as November 8, over a
thousand people were in urgent need of supplies on the Coco River near
the border with Honduras. Earlier, on Thursday, November 5, five hundred
bodies were found in the same river near the town of Wiwili. An
additional five hundred unidentified bodies had washed up on the Pacific
shore after flood waters had washed their bodies out to sea. As with
Honduras, there were critical food and water shortages in flooded areas.

Structural damage:

Infrastructure in affected regions devastated. Several villages
buried under mud slides near the Casita Volcano. Damage estimates for
Nicaragua are at $1 billion. Damage considered worse than in the 1972
Managua earthquake. Damage to a half million homes and 750,000 people
lost their homes or possessions.

Other Countries:

El Salvador: Western part of country most affected by rain
bands spiralling into Mitch from the Pacific Ocean. 230 dead. 500,000
forced from their homes by flooding. As much as 80% of maize crop lost.
Coffee plantations and sugar cane crop severely affected.

Guatemala: Over 200 killed by floods. Ten U.S. citizens and
one other person killed in plane crash supplying humanitarian aid on
Sunday, November 1. Near 80,000 evacuated from their homes by flooding.
Nearly 1 million directly affected by Mitch. Extensive damage to coffee
and banana plantations.

Costa Rica: Seven reported killed by flooding, mostly in the
northeastern part of the country. Few thousand forced from their homes.

Belize: Eleven dead or missing. Flood and crop damage
extensive. Most of Belize City evacuated on October 28 as Mitch
threatened to hit the city as at least a Category 4 storm. Had this
occurred, it might have been similar to the Hurricane Hattie disaster of
October 31, 1961 when Belize City was virtually destroyed and as a
result the capital was moved inland to Belmopan. With Mitch stalling
well east of Belize City, the disaster was not repeated and most of
Mitch's damage was from flooding.

Mexico: Nine reported killed. Five died near Tapachula in
southern Mexico near the Guatemalan border when their car was washed
from the road. A U.S. citizen was killed near Cancun in a boating
accident. Though ocean swells hit the Mexican tourist meccas of Cancun
and Cozumel, they were largely unaffected. Many tourists cancelled
reservations, however, when it appeared Mitch was poised to strike the
Yucatan.